Colorverse Johannes Kepler Mini 3 Bottled Ink Set: A Review

(Susan M. Pigott is a fountain pen collector, pen and paperholic, photographer, and professor. You can find more from Susan on her blog Scribalishess.)

The Colorverse Johannes Kepler Mini 3 Bottled Ink Set contains three 5ml bottles of dye-based fountain pen ink honoring Kepler, the famous astronomer and mathematician. The three inks in the set are called "Conjecture," (for Kepler's mathematical theorem on sphere packing) "Planetary Motion" (for Kepler's three laws) and "Somnium" (for Kepler's novel about a dream involving daemons and the moon).

The 5ml bottles are tear-drop shaped and adorable.

That said, the bottles aren't very practical. The opening is only .7mm, so you cannot insert nibs into it. A mini-pipette comes with each bottle. You can fill converters and eye-droppers with the pipette but not piston-filled pens.

Conjecture

Conjecture is a wine colored ink with fair saturation. It exhibits little shading and no sheen on Rhodia paper, and it is not waterproof. Although my dry times test shows the ink smearing after 30 seconds, I think that's because a bit of ink had pooled. The ink is actually quite dry.

The Col-o-dex card also shows some shading but no sheen. I had to soak up the ink splats with a paper towel because sunlight was fading (and I needed to take my photos), so it's possible that ruined any sheen effect.

Most interesting is the chromatography. This ink has a surprising bit of yellow-green in it along with pink and magenta. The yellow-green actually shows up in my water test (see above), but it wasn't evident in any of my writing, swatches, or splats.

Because the bottle is so small, I wasn't able to test the ink with my ruling pen. I opted instead for my widest Pilot Parallel pen (2.4mm). In this wider nib (which I dipped) the ink seems much lighter--more of a cherry blossom color than wine. Shading is much more evident in a wider nib.

Planetary Motion

Planetary Motion is a denim blue color. It has a bit of shading but no sheen and dries quickly. It is not waterproof, but when water is mixed with it, you can see the purple and teal undertones of the ink.

The Col-o-dex card shows off the shading of the ink. Again, it does not have any sheen (maybe due to my paper-towel blotting) but a bit of teal is visible in the splats.

The various dyes in Planetary Motion come out clearly in the chromatography: teal, turquoise, light blue, lavender, and purple.

Testing on Midori Paper with the Pilot Parallel 2.4mm demonstrates decent saturation and shading.

Somnium

Somnium is a jade green color with a tiny bit of shading. It has low saturation except in swabs. It dries fairly quickly and is not waterproof.

On the Col-o-dex card, the ink looks rather flat, with just a tiny bit of shading with the fine nib. Again, because I had to blot the splats, I don't know if there's any sheen with this ink. If there is, it's quite small.

Chromatography reveals different shades of green in this ink: olive green, light green, and blue green.

The Pilot Parallel pen brought out some good shading in Somnium.

I found all three Colorverse inks in this set to be quite dry, especially in the fine nib I used to do longer writing samples. The colors are understated, and I'm not enthusiastic about any of them. They are much more interesting in the Pilot Parallel nib, so I suggest using wide nibs for these inks.

You can buy the Colorverse Johannes Kepler Mini 3 Bottled Ink Set from Goldspot Pens for $19.50. Keep in mind that you'll need to use these inks in pens that are either eye-droppers or cartridge/converters. You could also transfer the ink to a sample bottle in order to fill a piston-based pen.

(Goldspot Pens provided this Colorverse Ink Set to Pen Addict free of charge for review purposes.)

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Graf von Faber-Castell Yozakura Ink: A Review

(Susan M. Pigott is a fountain pen collector, pen and paperholic, photographer, and professor. You can find more from Susan on her blog Scribalishess.)

Yozakura means "night cherry blossom," and that certainly describes the color of this ink from Graf von Faber-Castell. It is the dusty pink color of cherry blossoms in the evening light of Japan.

The 75ml bottle is beautiful in its own right. It is made of glass in an oblong shape with a thick, stable base. The cap is gilded in silver with the Graf von Faber-Castell logo on top.

Yozakura ink is dry and light, especially in finer nibs. It does not exhibit any sheen but offers good shading. Graf von Faber-Castell states that it is indelible ink, though in my water test it faded slightly.

The ink has a salmon tinge to it, as you can see on the Col-o-dex card. Because the ink is waterproof, chromatography doesn't separate the colors effectively.

A large, wet nib brings out the best in this ink with lots of shading, color variation, and pooling.

I used my TWSBI 580 EF nib to test the ink in longer writing sessions. This wasn't the best choice, in retrospect, because the ink is so dry and light. It's almost unreadable in my MD Paper journal. However, I think it would work much better in broad and stub nibs that have a wet flow.

Yozakura is similar to Robert Oster Sushi (reviewed here). It's a bit darker than TWSBI Pink and much lighter than Kyo-iro Keage-Sakura and Iroshizuku Tsutsuji.

I love dusty pinks and purples, so I created a mandala with Yozakura and Kyo-no-oto Sakuranezumi (reviewed here). This isn't one of my better mandalas, but I like the color combination.

You can purchase Graf von Faber-Castell Yozakura from Vanness Pens. 75ml costs $32.00. That's a lot of ink, so you might want to try a 4ml sample first ($4.00).

(Vanness Pens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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Diamine Havasu Turquoise Ink Review

There is something to be said for a brand that has been around for over 150 years like Diamine. They do one things, and do that one thing very well: Make ink. It’s not all fountain pen ink - they are an industrial manufacturer as well - but fountain pen ink is what we know and love them for.

And love is a term that many people will use when describing Diamine Havasu Turquoise. This bright blue has been a favorite of fountain pen users for years, and for good reason.

As I was writing this review up I got to thinking just how long Havasu Turquoise has been in existence? At least a decade, maybe two? How great would it be if historical companies like Diamine had something like a production Wiki to where we could see the launch year, the date of any formula changes, and the date of retirement for any inks that were shelved. I think that would be pretty cool, not only for research, but for story-telling. I know that’s asking a lot, but one can dream!

Regardless of when Havasau Turquoise was launched, it has been at the core of Diamine’s offerings for years, right up there with other classic colors such as Ancient Copper and Oxblood. Named after Havasu Falls in the Grand Canyon region of Arizona, it is a bright blue with moderate shading, and a tiny hint of red sheen around the edge of the lines. In other words, exactly what I want in an ink.

As great as I think this ink is, what makes it even better is the price. You can grab a 30ml bottle for $7.50, or jump up to an 80ml bottle for $16.50. In a world where I’ve happily paid over $20 for a 30ml bottle, Diamine inks are a steal at this price for this quality. They are great every day inks, easy to use and clean, and perfect for beginners and experts alike.

It’s no wonder they have been in business since 1864.

(JetPens provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)

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Enjoy reading The Pen Addict? Then consider becoming a member to receive additional weekly content, giveaways, and discounts in The Pen Addict shop. Plus, you support me and the site directly, for which I am very grateful.

Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!